


Tradition

by makesometime



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Mistletoe, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2012-11-24
Packaged: 2017-11-19 10:26:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makesometime/pseuds/makesometime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After all, mistletoe was just tradition... wasn't it? A silly little compulsion that everyone let themselves give in to because it didn't mean anything, really, nothing at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tradition

Ruby stepped down from the last rung of the ladder and dusted off her hands while admiring her handiwork.

Granny's was once again an explosion of festive cheer, as it had always been her task to make happen. While she would be the first to admit it seemed a little strange for Storybrooke to be celebrating Christmas while Snow and Emma were still missing, she could also recognise that it made a sort of sense... to focus on something happy would spirit the sadness away, if only temporarily.

She pursed her lips as she looked around, wondering if she'd gone a little too far in instilling some Christmas cheer in the small diner. Without customers and in the fluorescent lighting necessitated by the Maine winter morning, it was difficult to judge quite how much was _too much_. Coming to the decision that she was just looking for problems now while running on far too little caffeine, she started to pack away the empty decoration boxes with the intention of preparing for her shift.

Upon reaching the last box she noticed a hint of green at the bottom and frowned, reaching in to determine what she'd missed. When she pulled her hand back she let out a soft chuckle upon finding it to be a sprig of mistletoe. She'd forgotten all about it, which was a little ridiculous considering that every year became a mission to locate a new and inventive place she could hang it and avoid for the rest of the holiday season.

Ruby scanned the room and her eyes lit upon a hook just inside the door that she hadn't managed to hang anything from so far. If she put the mistletoe there she could _probably_ skirt around it, if she put a little effort in, and it would cause amusement (for her at least) when people met on opposite sides of the door.

She moved over to stand beneath the hook and was in the process of deciding if she could reach it without the ladder when the front door opened. She had to skitter back to avoid getting hit in the face, struggling to find traction on the floor in her heels.

"Ruby! I'm so sorry." David said as he froze in place, looking her over to make sure she wasn't hurt. "Are you okay?"

Ruby smiled broadly to reassure him once she found her footing. "I'm fine David, you just startled me." She said.

She needed to be honest with herself in that moment and admit how painfully handsome he looked, wearing an expression that was a mixture of bashful and concerned, his heavy coat hanging open to show hints of a button down shirt and that new holster he’d taken to wearing. And how, despite her true nature, there was still something slightly intimidating about his powerful frame filling up the doorway to the little diner. She took another measured step back to allow him to enter the room properly.

David noted the emptiness of the diner in pre-opening hours as he eased his coat off his shoulders and draped it over the back of a nearby chair. "I know I'm a little early, but is there any chance I could get a coffee? I didn't get much sleep."

"Is Henry still having nightmares?" She asked, her forehead creasing a little in concern.

David nodded, then lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. "Another thing to add to my list of worries."

"I'm sorry." Ruby said quietly, reaching out to grip his forearm briefly. She let go when he looked down at her hand, fighting the urge to recoil lest he figure her out. Her body thrummed with warmth at the contact, her skin tingling a little in dangerous suggestion.

A slow smile formed on David's face when he noticed the mistletoe in her other hand, the greenery distracting him from her warring emotions. "Well. This is... interesting." 

Ruby sighed internally, looking at the ground and wishing for a moment that it would open up to swallow her whole. "That's one way of putting it." She murmured.

With an exaggerated movement, he presented his cheek to her. "Come on then, lay it on me." 

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at that. "I don't think it _quite_ works like that. The element of surprise is missing, for one."

Silently, David took the mistletoe from her loose grip and lifted his arm up to hang it from the hook Ruby had been eyeing up when he walked in. With a satisfied smile on his face, he looked down at the woman in front of him, then back up to the ceiling.

"Would you look at that?" He said, voice heavy with feigned surprise. "Mistletoe!"

Ruby chuckled, turning to cross to the counter before she could do something she’d regret. She didn’t even make it one step, though, before a strong hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back.

"Ruby..." David said quietly, fingers tracing thoughtless circles over her inner wrist. His serious expression melted into something more amused. "Where’s your Christmas spirit?"

Looking into the blue of his eyes, Ruby found him completely open to her as ever; guileless, genuine, the man could never be anything else. Could she let herself take advantage of that – and, honestly, was what she was considering even classed as taking advantage? After all, mistletoe was just tradition... wasn't it? A silly little compulsion that everyone let themselves give in to because it didn't mean anything, really, nothing at all.

It was an awful fact that, as her feet carried her closer to him, she consciously forced recollection of Snow (her _best friend_ ) from her mind. Knowing that one stray moment's consideration would break her reasoning, make her reconsider. 

She didn't want to reconsider.

The corner of her mouth pulled up in a small smile once she was in front of him. "Merry Christmas, David." She said.

His eyes sparkled with mirth and affection, unaware of her inner turmoil. It was a sight she knew she would have no trouble memorising as the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes and lifted up to press her mouth to his.

He wasn't kissing her, she knew. Maybe at first, the first gentle press of his lips to hers, he was aware that he was with Ruby, not Snow.

But as her hands curled around his biceps and she gave in to the desire to just for one moment _pretend_ , the only thing she truly managed was to make things far worse for herself.

Her tongue swiped along the seam of his lips and it was instinct that opened his mouth to her, the act of letting go ensuring he was also leaving _her_.

It was everything she'd ever wanted and somehow nothing like it at all.

His hands fell to her sides, pulling her closer so that she fit ( _perfectly_ ) against him. His palms worked over the curve of hips, fighting not to move further as he regressed deeper into his memories. She traced one hand up over his shoulder, gripping tight, tongue stroking his eagerly.

A small whimper left her when he nipped at her lower lip and David froze at the sound. Eyes still closed, Ruby stepped back out of his rapidly loosening grip and wrapped her arms around her middle protectively.

She looked up finally to see him with his hand over his lips, brushing over his mouth before tucking both hands into the front pockets of his jeans. Keeping himself from touching anything he shouldn't (keeping himself from touching her).

"I should go." He said, voice quiet.

Ruby laughed and it was entirely fake, a high giggle that jarred through the silence of the empty diner. "Crimes to solve, people to save, right?"

David smiled, the quirk of his lips still fond despite everything that had just happened. "Something like that."

She watched with a heavy heart as he fetched his coat, then walked over the counter to stop herself from staring like she wanted to. She picked up a cloth on autopilot, ready to wipe the surface over when her eyes fell on the coffee machine. She turned to find David with a hand on the door handle, ready to leave.

"Hey, did you want that coffee?" Ruby blurted, winding the cloth between her fingers. 

Looking back at her, David's face gave an indication of how lost he felt, the expression making her heart clench. "It's okay. I'll... come back."

_Later, when there are people around._ Was unspoken, the sentiment clear to both of them.

She nodded. "Okay. Have a good day." She said weakly.

He gave her a tight smile. "You too."

Puttering about mindlessly for the next few minutes, Ruby found herself doing anything and everything she could think of to keep the memory of his lips, his hands on her from striking her dumb with emotion. When Granny walked in with a cheerful greeting, the older woman took a moment to notice her granddaughter's mood.

"Are you alright dear?" She asked, moving closer to smooth a hand over Ruby's cheek. "You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine." Ruby smiled reassuringly, her words not entirely convincing the older woman, but giving enough reason to leave her be. 

Collapsing back against the counter, Ruby looked over to the door as Archie stepped through, ready to purchase his morning coffee before heading to work. She caught sight of the mistletoe, let her eyes linger and then turned away, knowing she would be avoiding it for more than one reason this year. 

_I'm fine_. She promised herself, hoping she would eventually mean it.


End file.
